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A warmer planetary haven around cool stars, as ice warms rather than cools
In a bit of cosmic irony, planets orbiting cooler stars may be more likely to remain ice-free than planets around hotter stars. This artist’s concept illustrates a planet orbiting a red dwarf...
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‘Dimer molecules’ aid study of exoplanet pressure, hunt for life
An artist’s concept of an exoplanet, or planet outside the solar system.NASA Astronomers at the University of Washington have developed a new method of gauging the atmospheric pressure of exoplanets,...
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‘Mirage Earth’ exoplanets may have burned away chances for life
Illustration of a low-mass, M dwarf star, seen from an orbiting rocky planet.NASA / JPL Planets orbiting close to low-mass stars — easily the most common stars in the universe — are prime targets in...
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‘Chaotic Earths’: Some habitable exoplanets could experience wildly...
A “chaotic Earth” could exist in a planetary system in which a neighboring planet has “year” that is an integer multiple of another planet’s “year,” and if the orbital planes are not aligned. The...
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UW key player in new NASA coalition to search for life on distant worlds
The search for life beyond our solar system requires cooperation across scientific disciplines — the way the UW-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory has been working since 2001. Now, NASA’s NExSS...
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Spectrum of life: Nonphotosynthetic pigments could be biosignatures of life...
Laguna Colorada is a shallow salt lake in the southwest of Bolivia. One of several places on Earth whose colors are affected by nonphotosynthetic pigments. UW doctoral student Eddie Schwieterman has...
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Earth observations show how nitrogen may be detected on exoplanets, aiding...
The Earth as seen by the Polychromatic Imaging Camera aboard NASA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite, July 2015.NASA Observations of nitrogen in Earth’s atmosphere by a NASA spacecraft 17...
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Where to look for life? UW astronomers devise ‘habitability index’ to guide...
The James Webb Space Telescope, a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror, is scheduled to be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in October of 2018 and will be the...
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‘Pale orange dot’: Early Earth’s haze may give clue to habitability elsewhere...
An image of Saturn’s haze-shrouded moon Titan taken by the Cassini spacecraft. The UW-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory studied records of the haze on early Earth to see how such atmospheric...
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Life or illusion? Avoiding ‘false positives’ in the search for living worlds
New research from the University of Washington-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory will help astronomers better identify and rule out “false positives” in the ongoing search for life. Shown is a NASA...
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New discovery Proxima b is in host star’s habitable zone — but could it...
Artist’s impression of the planet orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri.ESO The world’s attention is now on Proxima Centauri b, a possibly Earth-like planet orbiting the closest star, 4.22...
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Early Earth as exoplanet: NASA highlights just-published UW Virtual Planetary...
When haze built up in the atmosphere of Archean Earth, billions of years ago, the young planet might have looked like this artist’s interpretation – a pale orange dot. A team of astronomers including...
View ArticleProxima b discoverer to join UW astrobiologists for May 3 lecture, discussion
The lead investigator of the research team that discovered Proxima Centauri b, the closest exoplanet, will join University of Washington astrobiologists May 3 to discuss the planet’s potential for life...
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Less life: Limited phosphorus recycling suppressed early Earth’s biosphere
As Earth’s oxygen levels rose to near-modern levels over the last 800 million years, phosphorus levels also increased, according to modeling led by the UW’s Michael Kipp and others. Accordingly, Kipp...
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UW astrobiologist Victoria Meadows receives SETI Institute’s Frank Drake Award
Victoria Meadows, UW astrobiologist and professor of astronomy. Victoria Meadows, University of Washington professor of astronomy and leader of NASA’s UW-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL), has...
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Orbital variations can trigger ‘snowball’ states in habitable zones around...
A NASA artist’s impression of Earth as a frigid “‘snowball” planet. New research from the University of Washington indicates that aspects of an otherwise habitable-seeming exoplanet planet’s axial...
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UW part of NASA network coordinating search for life on exoplanets
An artist’s conception of what life could look like on the surface of a distant planet.NASA Researchers with the University of Washington-led Virtual Planetary Laboratory are central to a group of...
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Study brings new climate models of small star TRAPPIST 1’s seven intriguing...
The small, cool M dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 and its seven worlds. New research from the University of Washington speculates on possible climates of these worlds and how they may have evolved.NASA Not all...
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Life or illusion? Avoiding ‘false positives’ in the search for living worlds
New research from the University of Washington-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory will help astronomers better identify and rule out “false positives” in the ongoing search for life. Shown is a NASA...
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New discovery Proxima b is in host star’s habitable zone — but could it...
Artist’s impression of the planet orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri.ESO The world’s attention is now on Proxima Centauri b, a possibly Earth-like planet orbiting the closest star, 4.22...
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